St. Louis refugees losing Medicaid access as federal policy changes take effect

ambale
May 20
2 min read

Story Highlights

Refugees without green cards will lose Medicaid access starting Oct. 1.
The International Institute of St. Louis is seeking long-term solutions with regional partners.
Many affected households also lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits starting April 1.

The International Institute of St. Louis is working to help refugees without a green card who will lose access to Medicaid starting Oct. 1 because of a federal policy change.

Blake Hamilton, the institute’s president and CEO, said Tuesday that a long-term solution has not been found yet to replace Medicaid's free or low-cost health coverage to low-income Americans.

“It creates an environment that is not just about those basic needs. It creates an overall level of fear and concern among immigrants about the viability of making a life here in St. Louis,” he said at an event held at the institute.

The institute is working with the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, the Missouri Foundation for Health and the Cover Missouri Coalition and regional health care providers on potential solutions that may include preventive care at clinics, Hamilton said.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Trump last July, removes immigrants and refugees who do not hold a green card from eligibility for Medicaid and other services, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Hamilton said many of the households who will lose Medicaid also are losing SNAP, which provides monthly financial assistance to low-income individuals and families to help them afford groceries and maintain a nutritious diet. That change began to take effect April 1

For those already receiving SNAP, the change is applied at their next benefits determination. As a result, it won’t be clear until September how many lawfully present immigrants will be affected in the St. Louis metro, Hamilton said.

Both changes in federal policy were part of House Bill 1, enacted into law last year that President Donald Trump referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Based at 3401 Arsenal St. in St. Louis' Tower Grove East neighborhood, the nonprofit International Institute for 2024 reported revenue of $41.3 million and expenses of $39.3 million, with year-end assets of $11.4 million and liabilities of $2.92 million, according to its most recent IRS filing.